Class of '58
April 2005

DEAR '58ERS,

Well, (a good Minnesota word) it takes longer to get these letters written than I would have ever believed. It can't be my advanced social life and it certainly is not age―so, it must be my work schedule.

First issues first. The Alumni Fund needs to hear from you NOW. The Class of 1958 is in embarrassing shape (well, almost) and we need more donors soon. We will be e-mailing and phoning until May 16 and you have a few days after that time. Please, and I am begging, let me hear from you.

The good news is that many of you have responded in the past two months. Thanks to all of the following for their gifts!

A year ago, MARJORIE MCKAY MILLER had a great trip on the Trans-Siberian railroad to Moscow and other stops. DON LOOMER retired, un-retired and is now senior pastor of Elk Grove First Baptist Church in Elk Grove, CA. ELLWOOD JOHNSON says he is feeling great after three years of battling cancer. He came back to Minnesota to attend his 55th high school reunion and to update the Lowry historical project and see friends in Fargo, Minneapolis and elsewhere. JERRY HESSER published a new book, Las Cucarachas' Tails, a storyteller's travel escapades in Mexico and you can buy one (I did) by contacting Jerry. SALLY CLAUSEN TAYLOR winters in Mesa, where she often sees BARBARA SWANSON SWENSON. Sally has a new grandson and will be traveling east in May for her husband's class reunion. HERBERT ANDERSON and Phyllis have moved to Berkeley where Phyllis is the new President of Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. Herbert is just completing a year as visiting professor at Yale Divinity School. ROLLIE HIRMAN winters in Florida and summers on a lake near Outing and keeps very busy.

Check the next Quarterly, which will be out soon, for a photo of MARGE LUND KINNEY, LINDA ECKBLAD KNOCHENMUS, MARLENE ISENSEE THOMAS, JANICE CALRSON STRAND, and CAROL LUND GARONE on page 37 or thereabouts. BILL andMarlys BINGER are still doing watercolor classes and enjoying retirement. CAROLYN LUND SANDVIG reports that Gene ’57 represents the USA in International Speed skating while daughter, Susan, is an international referee.

And still more news, PAUL BORG is leading a "trip of a lifetime"―a Norwegian Coastal Voyage with a taste of Sweden and even some of Finland. I think the closing date was April 15 (sorry about that), but Paul can be reached at peborg@att.net or 253-857-2118. Sounds exciting! ROBBIE ROBINSON teaches English and coaches track and football at Mountain View High School in Mesa. Robbie was the 5A State Track Coach of the Year and a finalist for the National Boys Track Coach of the Year. Congratulations! BETH CHOI, the widow of our classmate CHANGIK, who passed away many years ago. Beth remembers the Annual Fund each year. Thanks for the gift and the poem. Dorothy Busch, wife of CHUCK BUSCH, also remembers the Fund each year and reminds me from a last class letter that they have eight grandchildren, one at Gustavus, one at Hamline and the rest in high school waiting to make that decision.

Please remember the Annual Fund before the end of May. You can designate your gift or not, just make sure you join the rest of the class.

Cheers! Owen Sammelson

P. S. The Alumni Office will add some campus news here:

Campus Briefs

Gustavus has been known for its strong tradition of alumni participation in annual giving. Gusties support their Alma Mater in many ways and show their pride with their gifts. All alumni and current students have benefited from previous and current support. Gustavus will be as strong as its alumni want it to be. The 2005 Alumni Fund closes May 31. Make sure you are included with many members of your class and other alumni that have chosen to keep Gustavus strong. Three easy ways to give – send your check to the Alumni Office (by using the enclosed envelope), call 866-487-3863, or on-line at https://secure.gac.edu/giving/giving.cfm.

SportsThe Gustavus women’s hockey team finished third at the NCAA national championship after winning the MIAC title, the men’s basketball team won the MIAC regular season title and conference tournament and advanced to the NCAA national tournament, the men’s swimming and diving team won the MIAC title and placed seventh at the NCAA national tournament and had seven swimmers earn All-America honors and the women’s team had four swimmers earn All-America honors.

Extraordinary StudentsSenior Rachel Batalden, a double major in mathematics and secondary education with a 3.898 grade point average and two-time MIAC All-Conference selection at setter for the women’s volleyball team, has been selected as one of 56 student-athletes from across the country to receive a $7,500 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

Senior Paul Fraser, a music and computer science major has been selected as the winner of the second annual Caltech-Occidental Composition Contest for new music for concert band. The contest drew entries from all over the world, and as the winner, Paul will receive a cash award and a recording of the world premiere of the work at a concert by the Caltech-Occidental Concert Band in Pasadena, Calif., in May.

Bricks and mortar
Southwest Residence Hall is being constructed across the Campus Drive from the arboretum on the west side of the campus and is scheduled to be finished by June. The L-shaped facility is configured with apartments for four and six and will accommodate nearly 200 students. A hostel space for summer programs and confirmation retreat groups is included in the residence’s plans.

With the new Southwest Residence Hall coming on-line, the College will be taking down Wahlstrom Hall to make way for future residential construction. Crews will start the dismantling process in July with asbestos abatement, and the Kasota-stone residence hall will be razed in August. Alumni returning for reunion and commencement festivities on May 27–29 will be able to take a last tour through the building’s public areas, stairwells, and walk-through sections following a “decommissioning” ceremony to be held on Saturday morning, May 28.

Construction crews working on the renovation of Old Main discovered a cistern under the basement flooring in March. Gutting the interior has provided evidence of layers upon layers of remodeling done over the years, including an old stairwell in the middle of the building and what appears to be an attempt to raise the third-floor ceiling. The Old Main project, which includes the installation of an elevator in the northwest corner of the building, is scheduled to be completed in August.

The education and nursing departments have been relocated to the newly erected Mattson Hall, which is sited just west of the Schaefer Fine Arts Center and Prairie View Residence Hall, on the south side of the campus. These departments will remain there until a new social science center is built at some point in the future.